D’Pharaoh Woon A Tai
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Toronto, Ontario
Emmy-Nominated Actor | Indigenous Representation & Social Justice Expert
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D’PHARAOH WOON A TAI BIOGRAPHY
D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai is an Emmy-nominated Canadian actor of Oji-Cree descent, best known for his breakout role as Bear Smallhill in FX’s critically acclaimed series Reservation Dogs (2021–2023). Created by Sterlin Harjo and Taika Waititi, the groundbreaking series made television history with its all-Indigenous cast, writers, and directors, offering an authentic, nuanced portrayal of Indigenous life. Woon-A-Tai’s performance as Bear—a teenager navigating friendship, loss, and dreams on tribal land—earned him widespread acclaim and a Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, making him the first Indigenous actor recognized in the category.
Born and raised in Toronto, Woon-A-Tai carries a diverse heritage of Oji-Cree, Chinese-Guyanese, and German ancestry. His deep connection to his roots is shaped by time spent with family in the Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug First Nation and by the cultural significance of his name—“Miskwaatez,” meaning “red fire” in Oji-Cree. A black belt in Shotokan karate, he trained under his grandfather, Frank Woon-A-Tai, a world-renowned martial arts instructor. His paternal grandfather, Dr. Alex McKay, was a respected Indigenous Studies professor at the University of Toronto, whose work further influenced Woon-A-Tai’s passion for Indigenous representation and advocacy.
D’Pharaoh Woon A Tai began his acting career with roles in Holly Hobbie (2018) and Murdoch Mysteries (2019), but Reservation Dogs propelled him to international attention. The series, praised for blending humor with themes of resilience, identity, and community, became a landmark for Indigenous storytelling. Woon-A-Tai’s portrayal of Bear was central to the show’s impact, earning him recognition as one of the most promising young actors in Hollywood.
Off screen, Woon-A-Tai is a dedicated advocate for Indigenous representation in media and for social justice causes. At the 2024 Emmy Awards, he used his platform to raise awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Two-Spirit people, wearing a red handprint on his face as a symbol of solidarity. He continues to speak on the importance of cultural preservation, equity in the entertainment industry, and amplifying Indigenous voices.
His growing film career includes roles in independent projects such as Beans, Only the Good Survive, Fitting In, and Hell of a Summer, directed by Finn Wolfhard and Billy Bryk. Looking ahead, he will appear in major upcoming productions, including Warfare alongside Noah Centineo and Charles Melton, and Darren Aronofsky’s Caught Stealing, starring Bad Bunny, Austin Butler, and Regina King.
With his talent, cultural pride, and commitment to meaningful storytelling, D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai represents a new generation of artists using their craft to inspire change. Whether portraying complex characters on screen or advocating for Indigenous rights and visibility, he continues to break barriers, challenge stereotypes, and create space for future Indigenous creators to thrive. His work reflects not only artistic excellence but also a deep responsibility to community and heritage, positioning him as a transformative figure in contemporary film and television.
D’Pharaoh Woon A Tai Topic Presentations
D’Pharaoh Woon A Tai Toronto, Ontario, Canada delivers keynote presentations, workshops, fireside chats, moderated Q&A, and other presentation formats on a wide variety of topics. Each presentation is unique, customized and tailored for audiences, industries, conferences and event formats.
Leading Change Through Authentic Representation: Shaping the Future of Indigenous Storytelling in Film and Television
Storytelling With Purpose: Using Performance to Amplify Social and Cultural Issues
Navigating Identity in the Spotlight: Balancing Cultural Roots and Career in A Global Industry
Breaking Barriers for the Next Generation: Mentorship, Opportunity, and the Path Forward for Indigenous Artists
Discipline, Focus, and Resilience: Lessons From Martial Arts for Life and Career
D’Pharaoh Woon A Tai Speaking Testimonials
D’Pharaoh Woon A Tai Speaker Topic Ideas
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FAQ
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D’Pharaoh Woon A Tai keynote speaker is an expert presenter and has a wide range of experience speaking to a wide variety of audiences and organizations. D’Pharaoh Woon A Tai delivers keynotes, workshops & training sessions. They may also host or emcee events. Hire D’Pharaoh Woon A Tai from Toronto, Ontario for your event to inspire the audience to take action and make change in their work and their lives. Your workplace will benefit from our keynote speaker and their keynote talks and speeches will shift the mindsets or behaviours for the audience members in Canada.
Interested in booking D’Pharaoh Woon A Tai for an event?
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How much does it cost to hire D’Pharaoh Woon A Tai for a keynote presentation or virtual event?
D’Pharaoh Woon A Tai is an expert professional key note speaker with a lot of experience speaking and delivering engaging talks to organizations and audiences in Canada. Each of Speaker Bureau Canada's talent have different ways to assess their fees, and D’Pharaoh Woon A Tai speaker fee ranges depending on the size of the audience, event format (in person or virtual), event location, and if the organization booking them is a non profit, association, government department/government agency or business/corporation. The speakers we work with are flexible with their fees, and it is important for us to learn more about your event before we approach them, as it is our role to work for you, and to help you find a speaker within budget.
Please contact Speakers Bureau of Canada and provide us with your event details so that we can contact D’Pharaoh Woon A Tai to check availability or confirm the pricing and associated costs to hire a great speaker like D’Pharaoh Woon A Tai for your event. As D’Pharaoh Woon A Tai's agent and as a Canadian top speaker bureau and talent agency for speakers, we are able to propose each event opportunity from each host organization's behalf to try to help you get in touch with D’Pharaoh Woon A Tai and confirm them for your in person or online meeting/event. We can also provide and advise on the booking process and potentially negotiate their fee. Speakers Canada is a client focused speaker agency, and we work for you in finding good speakers for your team meetings and booking processes.
D’Pharaoh Woon A Tai Disclaimer
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When SBC receives a request to book D’Pharaoh Woon A Tai we provide you with their speaker fees, travel costs and check their schedules. We work closely with the host organization's event planning team and the speaker to handle the logistics and to relay or negotiate associated costs. Our talented team members then will work with our talent directly or their agent/manager/assistant to confirm the Canadian speaker fee and travel expenses, so that event planning teams can receive an official quote for the speaker appearing at the event. Speaker fees and travel costs vary per speaker and our role is to contact D’Pharaoh Woon A Tai about your event, after we have connected with the event organizers to learn all the event details and/or conference program. Each booking request is unique since session durations and audience sizes can vary which may affect the speaker's fees. If you are looking to hire D’Pharaoh Woon A Tai, we recommend filling out the booking request form so a booking agent from Speakers Bureau Canada can get in touch with our talent to help you coordinate with your team to engage the speaker for a successful event.











